New gasoline-powered Dodge Chargers close to production

Pilot production of gasoline-powered, four-door Dodge Chargers has started, according to MSN. Built at the Windsor plant, which is also the home of minivans, the car is to have 420 hp and 550 hp turbocharged inline-six engines, coupled to updated eight-speed automatics engineered by ZF and built by former-Chrysler in Kokomo.

MSN reported that up to one hundred cars are being made each day, with dealerships to get deliveries by the summer of 2025. By then, dealers will be well-stocked with electric Charger Daytonas. Production of the gasoline cars has allegedly been pushed forward by around five months, though part of that might be due to the long delays of 800-volt electric versions.

The first spy shots of the Charger were seen in November, with two doors. Both engine options are far more powerful than their 2023 equivalents, the 5.7 and 6.4 Hemi; the base 420 hp six-cylinder generates 470 pound-feet of torque, about the same as the old 6.4, while the high output version is good for both 550 hp and 550 lb-ft of torque, which is far above the 6.4 numbers.

The new 880RE automatic, long discussed by Mopar followers, can handle up to 600 pound-feet of torque in the same configurations as the current one; ti has a better hybrid capability, and can work with plugin hybrids.